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 Some
vegetables like cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, kale and Brussels
sprouts tolerate frost and even taste better after a slight chill.
Most of these can tolerate temperatures as low as 24 to 28 ˚F.
Leeks are another vegetable that thrives in cooler temperature. Many
tolerate temperatures as low as 20˚ F. Just mound some protective
mulch around the plants and continue harvesting.
Take advantage of the chilly winter temperatures to store some of
your carrots, turnips and parsnips in the ground for winter. Just
cover the soil with straw or evergreen boughs after it lightly
freezes. Dig as needed or during a winter thaw. You will enjoy their
wonderfully sweet flavor.
Those first few fall frosts are often followed by a week or more of
mild temperatures. Protecting frost sensitive plants from the first
few fall frosts is one way of extending your season. Cover the
plants with old bed sheets, mattress pads, or similar items in late
afternoon and remove them as soon as the temperatures climb above
freezing. Keep these handy and be ready to cover whenever frost is
in the forecast.
Make it easier by using floating row covers. The spun
material allows air, light and water through while protecting the
plants from frost. You will find different weights of row covers
that provide different levels of temperature protection. Just
loosely cover the plants and anchor the edges with stones, boards or
garden pins. You only need to remove the fabric to harvest ripe
vegetables. Otherwise, it can stay in place until the vegetables
stop producing or you decide it is time to end the season.
Create a high tunnel over garden beds filled with large plants. Use
hoops and row cover to allow easy access for harvesting while
protecting the plants.
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Cloches have long been used to jump start the season
or extend it beyond the first fall frost. You’ll find a variety of
shapes and sizes available. Select one large enough to cover your
plants and protect them as needed. Look for those with vents to
prevent plants from overheating and those that allow water through
while trapping in the heat.
Don’t let unripe tomatoes go to waste if you are unable or unwilling
to protect them from frost. Harvest any that are starting to show
color before the killing frost and finish ripening them indoors. The
bottom of the tomato should be greenish white or starting to color
up. Store your green tomatoes in a cool (60 to 65 degrees) location
to extend their storage life.
Spread out the tomatoes on heavy paper or wrap them individually in
newspaper so the fruit do not touch each other. They’ll ripen over
the next few weeks. Speed up the process by moving a few tomatoes to
a warm bright location a few days before they're needed. Enjoy green
tomatoes fried, in relish, salsa, pies or many other ways.
And when your season ends, begin planning for next year. Enlist some
of these strategies to jump start the season for an earlier harvest.
Melinda Myers has written over 20 gardening books, including Midwest
Gardener’s Handbook, 2nd Edition and Small Space Gardening. She
hosts The Great Courses “How to Grow Anything” instant video and DVD
series and the nationally syndicated Melinda’s Garden Moment radio
program. Myers is a columnist and contributing editor for Birds &
Blooms magazine. Myers’ website is www.MelindaMyers.com.
[Photo courtesy of MelindaMyers.com] |
